Lethal Love (Leo Valdez Fanfiction)
by Lea Valdez
Summary: Lauren is a very powerful demigod, so she just had to be cursed. Her curse was a blessing to her until Leo Valdez showed up. Now, Lauren shall learn how lethal love can be!
1. Dreaming

Lauren's POV

The wind swept my hair as I followed the vague path that curled through the meadow. The lustrous colours of the flowers were radiating a feeling of mysterious happiness. Clueless, I followed the path, not expecting anything. Suddenly, the path halted as a pair of feet appeared in front of me. Cautiously, I tilted my head upwards. _He_ was standing right in front of me. I whispered his name.

"Lauren, Lauren," said a voice. It seemed to be coming from his mouth, yet the voice wasn't his. The voice sounded urgent concerned and definitely feminine. Suddenly, I jolted up from my deep slumber. Annabeth was shouting my name. My instincts prompted me to snatch my dagger and shout,"Where are the monsters?" Annabeth looked at me with a concerned look, like very worried big sister. Then, I noticed the tears that were spilling down my cheeks.

Annabeth took up a very big responsibility when she and Percy found me at the Lotus Casino. And to just add on top of Percy's responsibility, Poseidon claimed me as soon as we returned to Camp Half-Blood. So now, I am officially Percy's half sister. It was really awesome to be at camp, until _he_ showed up. _He_ and his friends showed up just after Percy disappeared. After over 6 months, we finally figured out where Percy was and now, the demigods from the prophecy were going to retrieve Percy.

"Lauren, are you okay? You keep whispering something like neo or veo," said Annie. Oh right, she REALLY didn't like me calling her Annie.

"No, I'm fine. Just a bad dream, that's all," I said. Annabeth gave me that look that always meant that there a lecture coming up about sharing feelings. So before she could start I blurted out,"Can I come on the quest with you?" Annabeth rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time this week and shook her head.

"But the last time you went on a quest, you almost died. If you did, then how would I live? And anyways, I have the most powers," I said, pouting.

"Lauren, we talked about this. First of all, if we came close to dying that means the quest is dangerous. Percy and I would never forgive ourselves if you died, even in death. And you are very young, only 14. And secondly, the more powers one has, the more weaknesses. You know how fragile your life is," explained Annabeth. I wanted to shout that if I didn't go on the quest, I would die, literally!

Annabeth, gave me a stubborn shake of the head. That was it, my last straw. I had one plan left, it was crazy, but hey, crazy is my best friend! With the blood of 5 gods, a lot can be accomplished. I put my plan to action.

"Annabeth, can I have your invisibility cap, since it doesn't work anymore? I just want to keep it as a token. Please?" I asked, trying to hide the mischievous look dancing in my eyes. Annabeth looked at me quizzically and considered the thought for a moment. Then, she gave me a warm smile and handed the cap to me from her bag. Being very closely related to Athena, I was very clever, although one can never ever tell where Annabeth's cleverness goes to.

Annabeth said that the cap didn't work because her mother and she had an argument about finding the Athena Parthenos. I did a lot of research upon that subject and found that according to myths (which were the main source all demigods rely upon), Athena would send her most witty child to look for the Athena Parthenos every few years. The child must go unarmed and alone. That was probably why the cap didn't work for her. I didn't tell Annabeth, in case that meddled with the quest. Anyway, just because the cap didn't work on her didn't mean that I couldn't use it. When Annabeth had left the cabin, I slipped on her cap and set to work.

Annabeth's POV

Lauren had been worrying me for a few days. I always saw her falling asleep randomly and moaning something. It was all muffled, but she always woke up looking miserable. I took Lauren under my wing ever since Percy disappeared. She really loved her big brother, and when he disappeared, she was shattered. Talking about Percy, I would finally see him tomorrow. After 6 months of pain and mourning, I would finally see him. I walked into Bunker 9 to give Leo a visit. Leo was adjusting his hull when I walked in.

"Hi!" Leo exclaimed. Ever since he started on his ship, he could never wipe that smile off.

"How is the ship going?" I asked.

Leo beamed, 'Well, everything is ready. Somehow I seem to have made genius adjustments without even realising. And when I do realise how mastermind they are, I can't find myself to remember or believe I did them." Leo chuckled with delight. Of course, I knew how they came to be. As much as Lauren tries to hide it, she loves tinkering. She is very closely related to Hephaestus. She always gives me some ideas that might be great on the Argo II, and somehow they appear by the next day when Leo is on break. Thinking of Lauren brought me back to the worry I was feeling in the morning. Leo seemed to observe my face. Before I could remove the troubled look on my face, he asked, "How are things going with you?"

I shook my head, 'It's just that Lauren has been acting so odd lately. She always seems to avoid talking and falls asleep in the middle of things. She keeps muttering this one word until I wake her up. Unfortunately, her voice is muffled so I couldn't understand what she was saying. And her curse-" I abruptly stopped myself. I WAS NOT allowed to tell anyone about Lauren's curse.

Leo raised an eyebrow, "Lauren. She always seems really reserved to me. Frankly, I don't even think I have ever talked to her other than the occasional hi."

"Actually, she was always the funny, light-hearted type. Very outgoing. But ever since Jason, Piper and you showed up, she became _different_."


	2. In the Shadows

Leo's POV

Lauren. She was always very reserved. Although, she seemed more relaxed when she was with the others. When it came to me though, she seemed quieter than a mouse. I don't blame her, she must still suspect me for Percy disappearing. But there were times when she was the confident Lauren because she didn't notice I was there, and let me tell you, she is REALLY smart, really good with the bow and arrow, great at debating and is seriously amazing at tinkering.

Annabeth told me about some her creations and they were amazing. And if that wasn't good enough, she was unbelievably pretty. No one ever realised, but she looked amazing. She tried to hide it, but that made her prettier. She had black hair that fell to her shoulder but was so choppy that at some place only reached her neck. When she ruffled her hair or combed it with her hands (which she had a cute habit of doing), she looked so natural. When her hair was exposed in the sun, it had a tinge of brown. Her skin was a shade lighter than my caramel brown skin and her eyes were a warm black.

But again, she was still a stranger to me even after 6 months. I barely knew her and it was even hard to consider her my friend. So I made a promise to myself to make at least a small friendship with her. Who knew when I would be back? Anyhow, I continued my work. Tomorrow, we were setting off.

Lauren's POV

I packed extra clothes, stole a magical plate from the kitchen and sneaked into the ship. It almost ready, except for a few minor adjustments to it. Since the ship was only for 7 people, I made a comfortable bed in the stables. Yep, what a great start! The sun started to set as I fell asleep.

The wind swept my hair as I followed the vague path that curled through the meadow. The lustrous colours of the flowers were radiating a feeling of mysterious happiness. Clueless, I followed the path, not expecting anything. Suddenly, the path halted as a pair of feet appeared in front of me. Cautiously, I tilted my head upwards. _He_ was standing right in front of me. I whispered his name.

I woke up to the sun beaming in my eyes. The dream kept coming back. I saw it every time I fell asleep. Annoyed, I got up. I looked down and almost screamed. I didn't have a body! Suddenly I remembered that I was on my way to Percy. I adjusted Annie's cap (I was tired of calling her Annabeth) and headed on my way. As I walked up the deck, I remained in the shadows. I went to sit in the engine room because I hadn't been tinkering in a while. As soon as a entered I noticed Leo was working intently on the machine.

Carefully, I went to the corner and watched him tinker. For the first time in forever, I wasn't nervous about Leo seeing me even though I just woke from the dream. It was fun watching Leo knit his adorable eyebrows together trying to figure something out and then grinning the Leo grin when he solved the problem. Although my original cause for coming here was to tinker, I ended up daydreaming.

I always wanted Leo to notice me, but he didn't. But again, I always stayed in the shadows. Why would he even bother. There were like a million other girls who were _actually_ pretty at camp. I remembered the days when I was carefree and never cared about boys. It was almost like a blessing, until Leo showed up at least.

Suddenly, Leo stood up and hurried to the top deck. I looked over the railing and saw that we were settling over New Rome. I stayed in the ship, waiting. The group went down and that's all I saw until a really scrawny dude came back up with Leo. I instinctively left. I thought about where to go, I ended up in Percy's room. I would wait for Percy. I hadn't seen him in months, so a few minutes wouldn't make a difference. Suddenly, I heard the ballistae on the ship shooting. Underneath, the inhabitants of New Rome were shouting, the crew scrambled onto deck. My whole body urged me to go and see what was happening, but I knew I'd do something stupid if I got up. Instead, I leaned against the door. A chill went down my spine when I heard Percy growling at Leo. Annabeth stopped him, so I let it go. They'd only met, it would be fine, right? Percy got into his room and my heart pounded against my chest. He was actually here! I was about to hug him when I remembered that I needed to conceal my presence.

I quickly slipped out of the room, going back to the stables. My dinner was very lonely.

Annabeth's POV

Dinner was very calm luckily. Leo decided to go the stables, smart guy. Everything was alright until I heard a yelp. It sounded exactly like Lauren's. I was so worried, I heard her yelping! I eyed Percy carefully and said,"Lauren's been acting odd lately." Percy understood and followed me to my room to talk about her.

Leo's POV

Man, I messed up so badly. It was supposed to be how the Romans and Greeks made peace. Instead, I made war. I went into one of the stables to sit. I noticed it had a plate on it. Maybe it it was one of the spares. But how did it end up here? No time to think about that. I had two things on mind: berating myself and sleep. So I slowly drifted into sleep while scolding myself for the day.


	3. To Piper We Go!

Lauren's POV

Great! Now I have nowhere to sleep because Mr. I-Can-Sleep-In-Lauren's-Bed-Without-Asking is sleeping in my bed without asking. There was only one thing left to do so I hurried up the deck and into Percy's room before he could step in. Once he was inside, I saw him huff in exhaustion and collapse into his bed. Once his eyes were closed, I just stared at his adorable face. He had changed so much. I moved some of his hair to his side. Quickly I covered his mouth as he opened his eyes in horror.

"It's just me!" I hissed. He opened his eyes even wider with surprise instead. I felt him relax though so I let go. He turned around to face me and broke into a huge grin and hugged me.

"I missed you so much, Laura. Why are you even here?" he tried to sound angered but sheer delight overtook him. I loved how he called be Laura, only a big brother could be that sweet! I embraced him tightly before letting go to tell him I missed him so much. Then I remembered why I was here.

"Hey Percy, could I be a pain in the butt and ask you if I can stay here. I used to sleep in the stables but Leo has decided to take up residence there. So, only if you are comfortable with you _adowable_ little sister sleep with you for the night, can I?" I asked, making puppy-dog eyes. Percy smiled,"I thought I needed to beg you into sleeping with you. I haven't seen you in ages. But since you really desperately need to sleep here tonight, I'm a bit doubtful…" Percy laughed. He spread his arms into another embrace and I fell into them.

When I crawled into bed, I just stared at Percy while falling asleep. Percy, my big brother, was back! My eyes fluttered shut peacefully.

The wind swept my hair as I followed the vague path that curled through the meadow. The lustrous colours of the flowers were radiating a feeling of mysterious happiness. Clueless, I followed the path, not expecting anything. Suddenly, the path halted as a pair of feet appeared in front of me. Cautiously, I tilted my head upwards. _He_ was standing right in front of me. I whispered his name.

I jolted awake, it was still the middle of the night. Percy was awake and watching me as I cried. "Bad dream," I sniffled. Percy knitted his eyebrows in concern. When I whispered that I was fine, he nodded and fell asleep again. For the rest of the night, I just stared at the ceiling.

The next few days went by uneventfully. It was the same routine: Wake up Percy from crying, stare at wall, eat, spy, sleep, dream. Everyday, I felt the curse catching up with me, draining the life out of me. Now, to survive, there was only one thing to do: to Piper we go.

When Piper was alone in her room, I took the chance. I was still invisible so she didn't notice a thing. I went up to her and slapped my hand against her mouth and took Annie's cap off with the other.

"It's me, Lauren," I said. She didn't seem to recognise me at first but eased a _bit_. When she did. I let her go and faced her.

"What do you want," Piper asked, still surprised.

"Help," I replied. Piper raised an eyebrow. I had been talking and working with her at camp, so I knew the basic details about her. And she knew that if any of us needed help, it would've been her, not me.

"I can only help with this problem if it's specialized in love, but again maybe I won't," Piper said.

"Well then, today's your lucky day. I have a major love issue." Piper's shoulders tensed. I knew exactly why. Since the week before the last, Drew kept whispering rumours about me liking Jason. Piper wouldn't very much like that. "Look I just want to know how to catch a guy's attention." I paused and then added,"Especially if they're more into machines than actual human beings.

A smug smile stretched across Piper's face.


	4. Revealed

Piper's POV

I thought she liked Jason, but I never expected that she liked Leo! This was great. I started explaining how to get Leo's attention,"I've heard you've got mad tinkering skills. Annabeth even accidentally told me about your genius adjustments to the ship!" Lauren blushed tomato red.

"Look, Piper, just to make it short, I have the blood of 5 Greek gods. Since I have so many powers, I have a very brittle weakness. Well, more like a curse. Since I am so powerful, the gods gave me a curse that is the most easily triggered. Your mother, Aphrodite, placed a curse on me. She said that if fall in love, that person must show his love back or I die. The power of 5 gods made me immune to everything, except love! Nothing can hurt me, nothing can affect me as long as I don't love. And anyway, how will my skills help?" Lauren asked. It was my turn to go red. My mother was stupid enough, but did she have to curse my friends? I quickly got over it and answered Lauren's question.

"Well, Leo once told me that no matter much he flirted with girls, he never liked them. He like the type of girl that is pretty but doesn't mind to get her hands dirty. Especially if that meant tinkering," I explained. I watched Lauren's face lighten up as she understood what I suggested. Then, her face fell again.

"What?" I asked. She frowned and shook her head.

"I'm supposed to be at Camp Half-Blood, remember? Annie is going to kill me!" I said.

"You're going to die if you don't try." Lauren took a huge breath in, gave me a huge, nervous smile and muttered lunch. She put on her cap and disappeared.

Lauren's POV

I waited in the stables until lunch. Luckily, the stables were free off Leo. If he were here, I would not be able to concentrate at all. I thought of all the ways I could make my grand introduction. Finally, I made a decent plan and just in time, the crew was assembling for lunch. I tiptoed to the mess hall. I watched as Annabeth was heading to her chair. I counted, 1, 2, 3…

I ran straight to Annabeth and was about to turn her towards the wall so I could slam her in but she was a quick thinker. She took my hand and tried to judo flip me (even though I was still invisible) but I countered by turning my hand to an angle where Annabeth would lose her grip. I then secured by arms tightly around her neck, just enough to let her breathe. Annie reached for her knife and was about to stab me when I took the cap off and said,"It's me, Annie." I let go of her neck. Annie faltered momentarily she then burst into a fit of rage.

"Why are you here?! You should be safe at Camp Half-Blood! You! How in the world did you use my cap?! You could die on the quest!" she burst out. I frowned. Frankly, I expected something much more impressed and welcoming.

"If I stay at camp, I will die!"I exclaimed. It had finally come out. I gestured for Annabeth's knife. She gave it to me reluctantly. I made a cutting motion on my hand and showed Annabeth. Annie stared at it with a scowl on her face. She and Percy gasped when she saw it had made a cut but it healed up almost immediately. I nodded. Luckily, we were in the corner so no one else saw. I balled my hands into fists and turned around. For some reason, everyone's mouths were hanging open. Oh right, I just appeared out of thin air.

"Um… Hi! I'm Lauren, Percy's sister." I laughed nervously, "So… guess I'm with you guys now. Uhhh… So how was your day?" No one answered so I said, "Umm… I should be going." I raced to the engine room. I needed some serious tinkering time.

Leo's POV

I was dumbfounded. Lauren just appeared out of nowhere! She even tricked Annabeth. I stammered something unintelligent before muttering,"I'll be in the engine room if you need me." I stumbled to the engine room.

As soon as I came near the engine room, I heard someone in there. I peered through the door. Lauren was working furiously at something, her hands flying and her face covered with grease marks. Although she looked so dirty, she was really happy. I realised this wasn't work for her, it was a hobby. I smiled and walked over to her. She was so diligent in her work, she didn't notice me until I whispered,"What have you got working there?" Lauren was so stunned that she almost hit her head against the wall. Her face went tomato red and she whispered sorry to me. I shook my head and laughed.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked.

"Because I'm meddling with the engine room. Surely, you must be thinking about me messing up the system," Lauren replied. I sat down next to her and asked what she was doing.

"Well, I'm installing a protective shield on the ship's sides if a strong gale comes through. I used the hydraulic cylinders and connected this way. The inside of the cylinder work like a bike's. When the winds come, the vents at the bottom are pushed into circling. Once it is in motion, a strong wind will be directed upwards so that the other winds are drowned, OK maybe not drowned but the opposite direction!" explained Lauren. She beamed. She was so quiet but when she started talking, she was in the zone. I finally understood Annabeth when she said that Lauren was very easy to talk to. I think my heart understood too because I was utterly and irrevocably in love! I was so surprised that my mouth hung open. When Lauren looked at me, she frowned.

"Unless you think my idea is stupid, which it probably is," she said, dejectedly.

"No, no, it was that was UTTERLY AMAZING!" I exclaimed. Lauren laughed lightly, she was so good at laughing…

Anyways, we talked for a long time, until we started yawning. She bid her farewells for the night and left. I could definitely sense a friendship coming along!

Lauren's POV

I actually talked to Leo without fainting or running away! We were bonding over machines! When I reached the stables, I realized Blackjack was there. It had been eternity since I had seen him. I stroked his neck and was about to go bed when I realized 3 things:

Blackjack was in my bed

Percy was already asleep (as were the others)

That only left me with Leo awake

I freaked out at first. But then I collected all my thoughts and put them all into one. I needed to ask Leo if I could sleep with him tonight.


	5. Sweet Dreams

Leo's POV

Lauren just turned from a stranger to my crush in about 1 hour. I visited the bathroom to brush my teeth and then I crawled into bed in the engine room. I was about to doze off when I heard a tiny knock on the door. I huffed and walked to the door. I opened the door and said,"Go away, I'm trying to sleep." I didn't open my eyes until I heard Lauren's voice squeaking sorry. I instantly opened my eyes and gave a grin. "What are you doing at this time of night?"

"Um… well, I don't have a place to sleep. You see Blackjack's in the stables and all the others are asleep. So um… I was wondering…" she stammered. Lauren's face went bright red. I looked at her and waited for her to finish. Instead, she laughed nervously and I finally understood what she was saying. I awkwardly let her into my room. Lauren's face was burning red. I allowed her to get into bed but she asked me,"Can you produce a metal rod from your tool belt?" I nodded and handed her what she wanted. I handed it to her and brought out nails from her pocket. She stood up on my bed and hammered the nails in. She then asked for mini metal hooks. She connected all the hooks to the nail and draped a cloth on it. I thought she was done but then she took out a bunch of bit's and pieces from her pocket. She started tinkering with the metal rod and hooks. At the end, she took out what seemed to be a remote and she pressed a button. Instantly, the cloth went down. She pressed another button and it whizzed back up!

She beamed at me and yawned. She gestured for me to get to bed so I walked to bed and dozed off immediately.

Lauren's POV

I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep. I waited for the nightmares to start haunting me. I waited, the scene was still black. Black, blacker than the depths of Tartarus. All of a sudden, my eyes flew open and I inspected the clock on the bedside table. It was 6:30am. I hadn't had the dream. I looked up to the sky and said a silent thank you to Aphrodite, it would've been weird if I wake up next to Leo after the dream! I was still very sleepy so I decided a bit of food would wake me up. I got out of bed and ignored brushing my hair. I walked to the mess hall and order a lot of chocolate. Unhealthy or not, they reminded me of Leo's eyes. As I nibbled on a chocolate, my eyes drooped. The table was so inviting. I put my head on the table. 5 minutes wouldn't hurt…

NO, NO, NO. I couldn't fall asleep. I got up and walked to the bathroom. I needed a nice, warm shower to get me awake!

Leo's POV

I woke up to the sound of my alarm going off. I took the remote from the bedside table and pressed the button which made it go up. I was about to say good-morning to Lauren but she wasn't there! I jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. I ran up to Percy's room and opened the door hurriedly. There was only a Percy in Nemo pajamas. I would've laughed but I was too worried about Lauren. I went up to Annabeth's room, and bnged open the door. No Lauren. I checked every other room, the mess hall, the stables, the control room, everywhere. Finally, I raced to the bathroom and kicked it open.


	6. Smile :)!

Leo's POV

I sighed a huge sigh of relief when I found Lauren. I smiled at her but she just looked horrified. WHy was she so scared. I examined her face, pure horror. Then I looked down. Uh oh! Lauren was wrapped in a blue towel and her hair was dripping wet. I realised she just got out of the shower. I made a mental note to never bust the bathroom door open if Lauren was missing. Lauren made a squeaking sound and said,"Leo, whatever it is, now is not the time." I nodded and stammered until I was completely out of the bathroom. Lauren closed the door in front of her and I heaved another sigh of relief. I waited until the blood slowly rushed out of my cheeks, I put on a morning smile and went to the mess hall.

Lauren's POV

Oh gods, OH gods, OH GODS! Leo ran into the bathroom while I was in there. I was so lucky that I decided to wrap myself in a towel just before. What type of legendary Greek trireme which was going to defeat big, bad mother earth didn't have a lock on the bathroom door?! I made a mental note to fix a lock on the door while I hurriedly put some clothes on. I didn't look at what I fished out of my clothes bag. While I brushed my hair, I noticed the clothes I had on. A cute, floral tank top accompanied by skinny jeans. All topped off with ankle high leather boots. I cursed myself for packing this combination because it went too well with my hair.

After days of being in the dark and six months of trying to stay unnoticed, my plan completely failed. I took my rubber band from my wrist and laid it flat on my palm. It grew out until it was a sword. My palms enclosed around the hilt and I very carefully made a deep slit in my palm. It should've cut right through but It healed so quickly that there was only enough blood to fill a egg-cup. My curse was becoming better ever since I started talking with Leo.

I walked into the mess hall to have lunch. I sat opposite Leo, it was the only space left. I looked down and imagined his chocolate brown eyes staring into mine like every time I had the dream.

"Laura? Hello? Earth to Lauren Hale!" Percy said. I looked up and saw a heap of chocolate on my plate. "Did anyone ever tell you that chocolate is not healthy for breakfast?"Annabeth said. I shrugged and nibbled on the chocolatey delight. Annabeth was next to me so I nudged her and brought out my dagger. I cut my hand under the table and showed her my progress of healing. She nodded in approval. Breakfast was amazing until we settled down at Kansas.

Leo's POV

We were settling in Kansas because Piper had this vision of Dionysus in Katropis. They think Dionysus can help. I don't know know Dionysus in person but Percy told me that he is annoyed very easily and always calls them by the wrong name on purpose. But we had met some of his followers and Dionysus was the god of madness, but I had never thought of his followers as mentally deranged and always trying to find him. I walked into the dining hall with her, we were having a conversation about her glasses. Lauren frowned and said,"I think I'll make a pair of contact lenses because glasses can easily get lost, be broken in battle and they just don't look good on me."

A looked at Lauren and was about to say something encouraging and I honestly thought she looked amazing, glasses or no but Piper interrupted. She gasped so loudly and blurted out,"You wear glasses?'

Lauren turned completely poker face and she muttered (really loudly so the whole crew could hear), "Yep definitely contact lenses." Jason nudged Piper for her "rude" behaviour but I burst out laughing and so did the others except for Piper who was blushing madly.

Lauren's POV

I thought glasses were not my style but Piper thought they were just NOT my style. So I brought out the project I was working on when the three got off at Kansas. Annabeth went to her room to figure out the meaning of the disc, Frank and Hazel to some sword practice, and Leo to the control room (tinkering probably). These contact lenses I was making weren't your typical ones. They were hard-wired for battle. You could sleep with them. They could zoom in and out. If your vision got worse, you could adjust the power. It could also recognise mythological creatures and people on a certain mode so when fighting, you know exactly who your enemy is what they were known for. And just for fun, I added a camera in. There was a small piece behind your ear which you used to control everything. For someone ADHD like me, it was perfect. I adjusted a few chips and hey presto! A completed amazing pair of contact lenses. I tried them on, the world seemed so good!

I walked to the helm to consult Leo. He was tinkering with some random pieces but put them away when he saw me. I smiled as I walked in, he gestured to the seat next to him.

'I've finished constructing my contact lenses. They can zoom in and out, adjust power if your vision gets worse or better. It can also scan creatures and identify them immediately so you know who or what you are fighting and what to do. And for a finishing touch, they can take photos. It's all controlled with the piece behind my ear. I have two just in case," I said.

Leo's POV

Lauren was amazing. She was just amazing. I looked at her and gaped. She laughed her Lauren laugh when she saw my face.

"Now I'm starting to wish my vision wasn't so good," I said." But the camera, you added that in for fun didn't you? For someone ADHD like you and me, I love it!"

"Can we test it?" Lauren asked. I realised she was talking about the camera hardwired into her lenses.

"'Course. What do you want to take a photo of?"I asked. She looked around and then turned to me.

"Let's take a picture of the seven. Since you're the first person to come to me, let's take a picture of you," said Lauren. She was setting up the camera when I said,"Look I appreciate you want to take a photo of me 'cause I'm just irresistible but I DON NOT like photos." Lauren frowned so genuinely, I almost apologised but then she turned towards me, pouting in a really cute way.

"Pwease, pwetty pwease?" she said. I pretended to be annoyed and huffed. I rolled my eyes and stood in front of her. "Smile," she said. I was about to when I thought, hey, I'm supposed to be the annoying guy here, aren't I? I smiled impishly before it vanished completely. I crossed my arms and said,"What if I don't?


	7. Lauren Loves Herself

Lauren's POV

Oh, so Leo thought he could be more annoying? Game on! I gave him a devil's smile before announcing, 'If you can catch me before I complete 4 whole laps around the deck, you don't have to smile. But if you can't, the you must smile. Let the chase begin!" I ran with all my might. Leo looked confused for a moment, maybe because I had out-Leo-ed him. But he quickly starting running after me. After my second lap, Leo and I were laughing so hard that we just doubled over, clutching our stomachs. We were both rolling on the floor like maniacs. He looked so cute when he was smiling…

I quickly got up and took a picture of him without him realising. He was laughing so hard and looked so adorable. PERFECT PICTURE! I would treasure this moment forever. But then, I heard a thud on deck as I watched Piper and very a very unconscious Percy accompanied by a very unconscious Jason land. I raced to Percy, he had a hoof shaped mark swelling on his head. I gestured for Annabeth to take him to sickbay immediately along with Jason. I stood on deck for a few moments scolding Blackjack in horse (don't ask what it sounds or feels like, my nose hurts from grunting).

I then hurried into the sick bay, time to heal. Healing was one of the many powers Apollo had gifted me with. I set to work. You see I had the "healing touch" it relaxed the pain and some of the damage was gone but the conditions the patient was under didn't change. So both of them were still unconscious for a while. I gave Percy and Jason some ambrosia which got them up. At dinner, everyone was quiet when Annabeth spoke up.

"I've been watching the behaviour of the boys. Leo somehow decides to attack New Rome without even knowing what he is doing. Percy and Jason get into a fight without even knowing either. I think something is possessing them," Annie looked around the table.

"Eidolons," Annie and I said in unison. Of course! That explained everything. But there was still a problem then.

"How do we know the eidolons are still not here then? We need to make them to show themselves," I said.

"Maybe not make. Maybe more like persuade," Piper said. My eyes lit up. I knew exactly what she meant. She was going to use charmspeak to make the eidolons show themselves. Pipes was a genius. She used charmspeak to make the eidolons to show themselves. I was sooooo scared that I just don't want to explain what happened. All that I'm going to say is that they would never possess anyone on the Argo II ever again.

It was so weird and awkward after that, that I needed to raise awareness upon a vital topic: laundry.

"Who's doing laundry?" I asked. Everybody pointed at everybody. I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I've got a solution. Someone give me a challenge any challenge that we must execute. The last of us to complete this task must do laundry! Okay, first suggestion in is the one we use."

Piper smiled impishly. Oh, why did I say the first in gets to use their suggestion. SHe knew about my secret about Leo. Piper shouted at the top of her lungs, "Kiss the hottest person in the room !Last pair does the laundry!" Jason smiled and whispered "you devil" before kissing Piper. Percy and Annie seemed more than happy to kiss each other. Frank sorta blushed but he still kissed Hazel because NO ONE liked laundry, not even Frank. That left me and Leo. Piper watched us mischievously. Leo was blushing like crazy despite his dark skin tone. I slowly approached him, my hands in my pockets. Everybody held their breathe while Leo's eyes opened wide in surprise. MY face was only 5 inches from his when I brought my hand out and put the compact mirror in front of my face and kissed it. Piper let out an exasperated sigh. The others started laughing like hyenas and Leo just looked really annoyed. I had once again out-Leo-ed him.

"Sorry, I don't do laundry," I said to him. He smiled at my annoyingness. He would have to get used to it by now, I AM ANNOYING and I am proud of it.


	8. Stabbed in the Back

Breakfast was amazing until we settled down at Charleston Harbour. Piper, Annie and Hazel got off because Jason said that he and Reyna had been here once and the spirit would only talk to girls. And since the usual/safe number for a quest was 3, I decided not to go.

That left me in the ship with no one (except for Coach Hedge).

I wandered the decks and went through the engine room, but there was nothing to do. Suddenly, I heard something from outside. I ran to the deck and peered out. There were Romans and their eagles everywhere. Annabeth, Piper and Hazel were fighting like demons although they were outnumbered. Percy was nowhere to be seen and the three boys weren't due until the evening.

Octavian and his wretched followers cornered Piper, Hazel and Annie. I wanted to run in and stab that slimeball but I waited. Octavian gestured for Annabeth to put her weapons down but Annabeth threw them into the water. SHE IS SOOOOO SMART. The water erupted and Perc emerged from the water holding her dagger. He said, "You dropped this." I erupted into a fit of giggle while maiming the Romans. Percy was HILARIOUSLY in love with Annie. The crew climbed the Argo II, they probably thought I was still inside.

Piper probably Iris-messaged the three boys because they were flying towards the ship. Jason was flying, a pang of jealousy went through me but sheer amusement replaced it when I saw Leo cursing and screaming as he hung onto Frank's eagle talons for dear life. I kept fighting. Octavian was released from the water Percy was holding up to circulate his feet. Suddenly, Coach fired the ballistae which singed Frank's wing which caused collateral damage to Jason and Leo. I watched in horror as they plummeted down. I tried to get there but Annabeth was already one step ahead of me. I tried to get back to the ship when I saw Jason and Percy do something incredible! They joined forces: sea and sky! It was so amazing that I let my guard down for a second.

Then, I experienced something I never had before: pain. Something ripped through my flesh and went straight through my chest. My body already started to attempt to heal itself but that just made the feeling worse.

"No one mentioned a small Greek girl who needed to be brought back alive. I might as well put an end to you," whispered the cruel voice of the augur behind me. I let out a scream. It vibrated through the air and Leo shouted my name from the deck. I waited in _pain_ for Octavian to take the dagger out but something urgent made him leave immediately. I tried to take the dagger out myself but my heart became slower at pushing blood out of my body. The last thing I saw was Leo shouting my name as he ran to me and me whispering,"Take dagger out…"


	9. Explanations

**Hey guys. I just realised that my ordering of events were mixed up so I have reordered it from chapter 6. The following chapters won't make sense if you don't read from chapter 6 again... Sorry.**

 **P.S. I need more reviews.**

Leo's POV

No, no, no. This couldn't be the end for her. I approached Lauren as she lay on the ground, her breathing too shallow. I was too scared to even touch her with the dagger in her back. Annabeth ran after me and kneeled down next to Lauren. She monitored her breathing and cursed under her breath. Carefully, Annabeth removed the dagger. I waited for 10, excruciating seconds. Suddenly, Lauren's her breathing became heavy.

My eyes widened in shock! It was completely impossible for Lauren to be okay already. From the ship, I heard the others gasp too, except for Percy and Piper. Annabeth looked through the slit Octavian had made in Lauren's crop top. I gasped. The wound was only a bruise now!

"But- no- wait! Lauren was-dagger-" Annabeth rolled her eyes at my stuttering.

"I think Lauren it's time shared her little secret," she said. I picked Lauren up, bridal style and carried her to the ship. I let her lay in the sick bay, and I waited for her to wake up. I sat impatiently in the guest chair, restless. Annabeth came in at some point and said she would keep an eye on Lauren while she rested. She promised she'd call me as soon as she woke. I agreed reluctantly because I _was_ actually sleepy.

Lauren's POV

My head was spinning as I awoke to the call of my name. Annie was next to me, whispering my name. Suddenly, I remembered what had happened to me. I remembered how Leo was running to me and me whispering "take dagger out". I was sooo embarrassed. The colour flushed into my cheeks. If I was any lighter, you would see a tomato instead of a head on top of my neck.

"I think you have a bit of explaining to do to the crew,"she said. I knew what she was talking about and I wasn't going to argue with her because a. I knew she was right and b. She would rip me apart in an argument. I stood up cautiously and entered the mess hall where everyone was waiting. Percy was still in his PJs, and Leo was half asleep but seemed to be wide awake when he noticed me coming in. Annabeth took a seat next to Percy, they shared a concerned look. That left me standing up in the middle of the hall. I felt like a 5 year old again, my teachers expecting an explanation of how I drained the whole fountain onto Kierra, it was really hard to explain.

"Ok… so to get to the point, I'm not your typical demigod," I said hurriedly. I wanted to explain and run away as soon as I could. "I have more than the blood of one god. My family history has a total of 5 gods. Athena is my aunt, Hermes my uncle, Apollo somewhere around great-grandfather, Hephaestus from very early times and Poseidon my dad. Athena gave me the power of wisdom, Hermes the power of travel and thievery, Apollo gave me sonic screams, archery skills, musical talent, healing talents, the ability to bend prophecies and foretell them, and loads of other cool stuff, Hephaestus gave me the power of controlling fire and the skill of tinkering and Poseidon gave me control over water, the ability to breathe and speak underwater and being able to understand and talk to horses. Since I am so physically strong and steady, the gods cursed me. They invited Aphrodite to have a play around with me. She gave me Achilles heel. But instead of a physical weakness, I have a very unstable emotional weakness. That balanced out my powers," I concluded.

Everyone started sharing shocked glances except for Leo. He just stared at me. He probably decided that I was a creep. I ran for my bedroom (Leo's room) and locked the door. I sank to my knees and let the tears cascade down my cheeks. I had no idea of why I was crying. I went through my tiny suitcase and suddenly, I felt a bump protruding from one of my pant pockets. I took out the mysterious lump and found that it was my glasses. I was a bit short-sighted but I thought I had lost the glasses at the Lotus Casino. I put them on and looked around to see how the dull the world looked to me in reality. I then fished out my diary. I was no Anne Frank, but I kept one to vent my anger and unleash my pain. I started writing furiously, all my feelings just pouring out.

Suddenly, I felt a sudden knock on the door.

"Laura, come out. I need to talk," said a concerned voice which belonged to Percy. I grumbled "go away" but Percy insisted on coming out. Finally, I opened the door, revealing myself not even bothering to wipe the tears away. Percy looked at me sympathetically, and embraced me in a warm hug. In his arms, I felt the world was nothing, I felt like I always will have a big brother to look up to. I cried on Percy's shoulder until it seemed a torrent of rain had completely washed Percy.

"I'm sorry about the shirt," I whispered pulling away so it wouldn't get any more wet. He shook his head as if to say it was fine but I pointed to the bed, I was tired. As I crawled into bed, I noticed Leo still wasn't in the engine room. He probably didn't want to be anywhere near me let alone sleep on the same bed. I cried myself to sleep gradually, dejection filling my heart.

Leo's POV

I was still shocked. Lauren just spilled out all her secrets to us and ran. I didn't care if she had the blood of 12 gods or one, I was surprised by her courage. I sat in the dining hall for an eternity before going to the engine room. Lauren probably wouldn't want me to go annoy her or disturb her. Everyone saw me as the annoying little guy who was nothing but a clown, Lauren was probably no different. I finally stepped into the engine, the familiar whirring comforting me. I looked at the bed, Lauren forgot to pull the curtains down. I could see tear marks on her face. The poor thing cried herself to sleep. I gently moved a few strands of hair from her face. She looked like an angel when she slept, sweet, innocent and completely harmless. I smiled at her before I let the curtains fall.


	10. Drowning

Leo's POV

Lauren insisted on having breakfast alone in the engine room. When I left her here, I heard her sniffle in between sobs. It was heartbreaking to listen to but I was probably just a pain in the butt. We were almost in Atlanta pretty soon. Frank, Percy and Coach Hedge went to meet Phorcys as Bacchus had suggested. Annabeth really wanted to go but after what happened last night, Coach wouldn't allow it. I wanted to go check on Lauren but didn't want to disturb her so I stayed put.

Lauren's POV

My hand was flying across my diary, but instead of tears streaming out of my eyes, I had a smile plastered to my face. Over the past few hours, I had been writing and I found that I had no reason to cry. If the others found Frank's powers being related to 2 gods cool, they wouldn't mind me. I had set my priorities right after consulting my diary and I was about to go to deck when something made the ship lurch to one side.

I ran to the deck, everyone was fighting something which was in the water. The thing was the length of their ship. In the moonlight, it looked like a cross between a giant shrimp and a cockroach, with a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-type legs undulating hypnotically as the monster scraped against the hull of the Argo II. I took my rubber band off my wrist as it elongated into a sword. I stabbed and slashed every time it took hold of someone.

But something horrible happened. I watched as Hazel and Frank were pulled into the sea with the monster, bobbing up and down. I was about to dive in when Leo had to play hero. He got a vial of Greek fire as the monster grabbed him. As the monster opened its mouth, Leo threw the vial in. It killed the monster, but as it drowned, it pulled the three along with them. For one, whole minute, everything was quiet. And then I came back to my senses. I ran to the edge, but Annabeth held me back.

'Lauren, your Achilles heel might be weak,' she said. I knew why she said it.

'No, no. He's not gone. I can know it. I need to find him,' I said.

Annabeth looked at me sympathetically. 'You have to acknowledge the possibility that he is gone.'

'Fine! I'm either coming back up with him or not ever reaching the surface again.' I said as a broke free of her grip. I jumped into the sea before anyone could stop me. For a moment, the water felt as inviting as ever but then, it started flooding my lungs. It suffocated me. I tried to get back up, instinctively but then I remembered my words, _I'm either coming back up with him or not ever reaching the surface again._

 _I let myself sink slowly into the sea…_


	11. Choices

**Extra long chapter! Sorry for the really short chaoter 10...**

 **Enjoy!**

Leo's POV

As I was rising to the surface in my little bubble, I thought of Lauren. She would slap me or be ready to! Also, I brought her favourite, chocolatey delight! As I broke through the surface of the coruscating water, I said, 'I've brought Lauren's favourite, brownies!' I waited for her to shout my name in frustration but I heard nothing. I scanned the deck. Their expressions were relieved but for some reason, their faces contorted in confusion. Percy's eyebrows were knitted together, perplexed.

'Where's Lauren?' we asked in unison.

'I thought she was with you,' I exclaimed.

'But she went to look for you,' Annabeth said. Suddenly, Percy's eyes widened in shock. Before Annabeth could pull him back, he jumped overboard and vanished into the water.

Percy's POV **(surprise!)**

I dived into the water without thinking. Lauren may be strong, but who knew what was down there? I looked about until I finally decided to use my echolocation. I resonated my voice through the water, and when the sound bounced back, I could feel things from far away. Suddenly, I felt Lauren. She wasn't far. I heaved a sigh (or whatever you do in water) of relief and headed her direction. I kept echolocating her, in case she moved but surprisingly, she was absolutely still. That was odd…

I swam about where I had approximated Laura's location. I abruptly stumbled on something, when I looked down, my eyes widened in horror. Lauren was floating there, just about dead. She still wasn't gone…

I picked Lauren up and willed the water to propel me to the top the fastest it could. That didn't take more than a second, literally. The water let me land on deck and I rushed to the sickbay with Annabeth, Piper and Leo following me. I gently lay Lauren on the bed. She was just about to die. Her breathing was just a miniscule wheeze.

Leo's POV

It was all my fault. Lauren went into the water save me. Everyone already knew she was already weak with her Achilles heel. Now, she was dying. Tears formed in my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks. Some hit her face. Suddenly, she glowed a bright golden colour. I took a few steps back to avoid being blinded. When the light died down, I saw myself encompassed by pure whiteness. A shadow appeared behind me. As I turned around, I gasped. She looked astonishing. Before me stood Lauren except with her hair a bit longer and braided down her shoulder, but still choppy. She wore a white Greek chiton which looked exceptional on her.

"Lauren?" I asked. She laughed lightly. What did I say wrong? Lauren looked at me sympathetically.

"I am not Lauren. I am Aphrodite dear. But of course, you see me as the most beautiful person you can imagine. Lauren is in your case, well she is pretty looking, but could definitely use some improvement," she said. I stared at her for a moment. I took a second to be embarrassed of what she meant and then I looked at her abruptly.

" _Is_ pretty looking? You mean she is still alive?" I said hurriedly.

"Hmm, you are more observant than usual dear," she said studying me. "But yes, she is well and alive. You saved her you know."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I saved her? "But how?" I asked.

"Looks like there is still a long mystery for you to unravel. For now, all I will stay that you have a strong friendship with the girl." She smiled mischievously. The sort of smile someone makes when lying... "But, resurrecting the dead with the force of sheer will power is not something Hades will accept. You will have two choices now. Forget Lauren forever or lose her forever. Choose wisely. You have until the end of the day to enjoy time with her. You will know what you have picked, you will feel it in your heart. And again, choose wisely dear..." Aphrodite slowly faded away. I stuttered "wait"s and "come back"s but I myself awoke from my trance. Piper was studying my face when I opened my eyes. I leaped back and unfortunately hit my head. I muttered "ow".

Just like Aphrodite had promised, Lauren was up and breathing. Annabeth and Percy were examining her but when she saw me wake up, she looked directly into my eyes. I nodded to assure her I was alright, but inside, my heart was near to breaking. I had just started liking Lauren, a girl who was still out of my league but close to me. Then Aphrodite needs to, just needs to, do her little hocus-pocus magic and ruin everything.

Lauren's POV

I looked Leo in the eye, he looked worried. He tried to assure me he was alright so I ignored it. As much as he is good at hiding all his worry, I know exactly what's going on with him. After Annabeth and I had a small conversation about how the merpeoples barrier against the children of Poseidon blocked my connection with Leo, everyone left the infirmary. I wanted to thank Leo, he was probably in the engine room.

I perambulated through the room while thinking of how much Leo did for me. I saw the river coursing. I could feel the pull of death, I was so close to entering the doors. And all of a sudden, I see Leo, a golden shine, pulling me back. But he still didn't know _why_ I didn't have my Achilles heel, and I didn't intend for him to know anyway. When I reached the room, I noticed the note on the door. It read:

 _Leo doin' Laundry… :(_

I laughed at it. After all that had happened, Leo still remembered laundry, but then something odd clicked in my mind. This was unlike Leo. He'd try to avoid laundry at all costs and would never even remember the compact mirror kiss incident after everything today. I then thought of the one reason he would be doing laundry: to be alone. Well, Leo, good luck on that 'cause you ain't gonna mourn on your own.

Leo's POV

I sat all alone in the laundry room. What did Aphrodite mean about a "strong friendship"? Why did she smile like that? Why would she _possibly_ lie? Suddenly, the laundry door creaked open.

"Hey," whispered Lauren. I smiled at her. I had a feeling she would find out where I was eventually. I really wanted to talk to her but I would feel guilty telling her about my options. Both were not really good. She sat down next to me, folding a random shirt.

"Something's off. If you need to talk, I'm right here," she said. I appreciated her for that so I decided to tell her only about the bit about Aphrodite. I would have to lie and tell her that she only said we had a "strong friendship" and then faded away.

"Right after you glowed, everything went white and I saw someone-"

"And that is where you end. Now let me guess everything that happens afterwards. OK, so you are messing with Hades but he doesn't like coming in contact with mortals unless they are dead. It must've Aphrodite since she always like taking the opportunity to torture people by making "consequences". I'm just living evidence. She must've started off with introducing herself. Then she would explain a few things very vaguely. And since you resurrected me, I would be the person she would explain about. Wait… what did she say?!" Lauren looked at me scared to death. Aphrodite did very vaguely say "strong friendship" but with that smile.

"Strong friendship to be exact," I said. Lauren looked relieved. She looked up at the heavens as if to thank the gods. She regained her confidence and went on.

"OK then, she must've given you a choice, interfering with death is very severe. Choosing something is much harder than getting a weakness. Now, you can go on and tell me what you're options are!" Lauren ended. I stared at her in astonishment.

"How did you do that?" I exclaimed. Lauren scrunched up her face to imitate mock offendedness.

"First off all, I have the gift of prophecy. Second of all, I have the blood of the goddess of WISDOM running through my veins. And last but not least, I have a very long history with Aphrodite." Lauren pointed her chin up in. I laughed. She smiled. But then, she looked at me seriously and nodded.

"Well… the options were so hard. They were…" my voice broke. "They were picking between losing you forever, or forgetting you forever. I have until tonight" I expected Lauren to be shocked, but she just smiled sympathetically at me.

Lauren's POV

I knew Aphrodite would make him do this.

"In the state I am in right now, letting me die is better than forgetting me. Trust me Leo. It'll make all our lives easier." Leo just looked down at his palms. I slowly raised my hands while he wasn't looking. Slowly I reached for him and…

STARTED TICKLING HIM! Leo completely fell into a fit of giggles.

"OK, OK. What do you want?" he asked while giggling insanely.

"Promise me that you won't think about it until it's time, plus, we need to complete laundry" I said.

"Fine, whatever you want, just stop," he said. I released him from my reign of terrifying tickles. I pointed to the basket at the end of the room and he sluggishly went to it.

"Can you get the laundry machine started?" he asked. I edged towards the laundry machine and raised an eyebrow. How did you control these things? Leo looked at me with pure shock and surprise.

"Are you telling me that the most powerful demigod in history can't operate a simple laundry machine?" he asked. I put my hands on my hands on my hips. I mocked offendedness yet again.

"Was that an insult?" I asked. Leo just shrugged, a smug smile stretched across his face. I could feel the water in the laundry machine, waiting. My Achilles heel was well repaired when I was revived. Gradually, I felt the water slide out on my will. It did it so slowly that Leo didn't realise. When he was turned against me, I called, "Hey Leo!"

When he turned, I willed the water to completely soak him. When the water slid away, Leo was completely drenched. His surprised face became a smile.

"So that's how you want to play?" Leo completely went on fire, literally, but still made sure he burn away his clothes. He was dry once again. He conjured a ball of fire and threw it at me. But I caught it in my hand.

"Did you forget that I can control fire too," I said. I launched another gush of water, but this time, Leo made it evaporate against a wall of fire.

"You wanna play fire with fire, huh? Well get ready Lauren, you are ON!" He shouted. I willed my water to be encompassed by globes of fire which I also willed not to burn the water away. When they hit Leo's fire barrier, my fire protected the water. As soon as the water was through, the fire disappeared and Leo was drenched.

"Not fair! You can't use all your powers!" he complained.

"Fine, only fire and hand to hand combat it is," I lunged at him, my hands completely ablaze. He was quick enough to move. I caught myself before he could attack. I swiftly went up to him and grappled at his throat, giving just him enough space to breathe. Suddenly, I sipped on the floor. Leo and I collapsed but he was quick enough to take me by the throat just in time. We were both exhausted. I used all my strength to turn over and take him by the throat again. Leo still didn't let go but we were laughing madly. I loosened my grip on his throat. He was still laughing. I looked into his eyes. My smile became warmer, as did his. Suddenly, Leo's hands slid from my throat to my jawline. We leaned in closer and closer….

"Hey, how's laundry Leo-" she stopped abruptly when she lifted her head from the book. I leaped up immediately and Leo sat up. Both our faces were red. Annabeth just stared in horror.

Leo's POV

THIS WAS SO EMBArRASSING! I had no idea what I was doing. It just happened. And to make it even worse, just when we were about to kiss, Annabeth saw us. She must be thinking that Lauren and I were rolling around in the floor instead of having a full fledged battle. Lauren ran out of the room straight away. I ran after Lauren. She ran to the engine room. I followed after her.

"What were you doing Leo?!" she said.

"Sorry, it just happened," I said.

"Well, it can't, OK. I'm probably going to be gone by tomorrow. And even if Aphrodite wasn't so annoying, you can't OK. It'll only get worse!" she shouted.

"But- but-. Lauren, I'm so sorry, whatever I did." This must've been messing with her emotions. Her Achilles heel was based on emotions. From what I had calculated so far, Lauren's Achilles heel was based on how she felt. If she felt happy and confident, she was strong. If she felt depressed, angry or just messed up, it was REALLY weak. Aphrodite really made everything worse.

"I should fix the laundry room…" she whispered. She ran from me again, and I didn't follow. She needed alone time. I climbed into bed and thought over what happened. I had made up my mind.


	12. Is it the end?

Lauren's POV

When I returned to the laundry room, Annabeth was still there, Percy with her. She was still paralyzed in shock.

"Annie, I swear we were doing the laundry, but then we had a full fledged battle. And then I took him by the neck and I slipped and he grasped my throat and then we were on the floor and he- he was about to…" the tears cascaded down my cheeks. Annabeth looked at me and spread out her arms. She hugged me warmly.

"What happened? Why are you crying? I thought you liked Leo." Tell me," she said.

"Oh but I love him" I wailed

"Is it because I ruined your moment?" I shook my head. I abruptly sat down and started explaining everything, including my feelings. By the end, Annabeth and Percy looked horrified at Aphrodite and her ways.

"You can't die Lauren! Leo can't let you die. I won't allow it!" Annabeth said, tears rolling down her cheek. Percy looked depressed and on the verge of tears, just keeping them in. He hugged me and kissed me on the forehead.

"But if he forgets me, I'll die slowly and painfully. He can't love me if he doesn't remember me," I said, my voice dry and devoid of emotions. Percy stood up, a determined expression on his face.

"I'm gonna go talk to Leo," he said.

"Anything, but just don't tell him about my curse or that I love him with all my heart. That'll just make situations worse," I said. Percy whispered "I swear" before walking to Leo's room. That night, I slept in Percy's bed.

Leo's POV

Percy begged me to open the door so we could talk, but I played dead. He tried smashing water through my room, but my fire made it evaporate. He tried smashing the door open, but I built a strong lock. After a while, he gave up. I lay in bed, already knowing what I had chosen. Now, I just thought of how things would start tomorrow. Tomorrow…

I'd be surprised if I survived today.

Lauren's POV

This could have been my last night. I don't know what Leo had chosen. But if he took my advice, I'd be gone by morning. I wondered how I would go. WOuld I just disappear? Or would I be a dead body lying in Percy's bed? What would it feel like? As midnight approached, I felt all the energy drained out of my body. I waited… was this the end?

 **Sorry, it's a bit short.**

 **To my wonderful readers:**

 **Sorry about that last cliffhanger.**

 **Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA.**

 **But seriously, I love you guys.**


	13. UPDATE!

**Hey guys,**

 **sorry I didn't update in a long time...**

 **stick with A LOT of school work. I'm still working on the next chapter, but I can only get a few lines in at a time. So I'll make a bargain:**

 **When/if I get 13 reviews, I will update. Promise.**

 **No, don't just write 3 more reviews yourself just saying hi. I want genuine feedback from 3 different people.**

 **Good luck on aggravating/begging your friends into reading my fanfic and writing proper reviews :)**

 **I still love you guys!**

 **Please don't stop reading...**

 **P.S. I have officially named the Lauren/Leo ship: Lauraleo. Wierd? Yes. Any better suggestions?**


	14. Remember Me?

**Hey guys, I didn't get 13** ** _reviews_** **yet, but I myself couldn't wait. You guys are lucky I love Laureo as much as you do. Except, you may love me while reading, but hate me in the end. Just saying. Do not fret... Lauren's life will only get worse...**

 **MWAH HA HA HA HA!**

 **(luv ya guys!)**

Percy's POV

As I entered the room, I saw Lauren laying there. Suddenly, I noticed something, her chest wasn't moving. I sprinted across the room and laid my ears against her chest. It was stilling beating. I moved my head up to heave a sigh of relief. I observed Lauren. Her face was pale and the colour in her lips were faded. I understood what Leo had chosen. If he truly and deeply respected Lauren, he would've listened to her, but I gratituted him for truly and deeply loving her and letting her live without himself...

Lauren's POV  
I felt the energy in my body drain as the night progressed. For the first time in days, I saw the dream again. I woke in a cold sweat. I should've jumped up in my sleep but I was too weak. Percy jolted up next to me as I sharply inhaled. Percy looked at me, bewildered.

"Percy…" I wheezed, tears streaming out of my eyes. "I need… glass of-of… water. I need water." Percy slowly helped me out of bed and led me towards the mess hall as I realised what Leo had chosen. Since he didn't remember me, I would die slowly and painfully anyway. Suddenly, Leo came walking into the room. As soon as he saw me, a ball of fire blazed in his hand and he looked at me threateningly.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship?" he asked. His icy tone broke my heart.

"Percy! An intruder! Quick!" He shouted. Percy came running into the room, sword in hand and looking around for the intruder.

"She may look weak, but that's probably a disguise." Leo continued. Percy chuckled softly as he realised Leo meant me.

"Don't worry, she's with me," he told Leo. Leo eyed me suspiciously as he headed out of the room. Percy assisted me to the engine room. Luckily, Leo wasn't there. I tinkered with the energy I had left. It made my thoughts clearer. I might not die if Leo slowly shaped me back as the Lauren he new. Suddenly, I heard the handle turn Leo stepped in. As soon as he realised I was in there, fireballs appeared in his hand.

"Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship?" he asked. This time, I was the one to call for Percy. I shouted at the top of my lungs. Percy came running in. He looked at Leo sternly.

"I just told you she's with me Leo!" he bellowed. Percy protectively stood in front of me.

"What do you mean? I've never seen this girl in my life!" he said. All my hopes shattered at his words. Aphrodite said he would forget me FOREVER and she meant it. Leo wouldn't be able to remember me at all, ever! For the next few days, I need to go everywhere with either Percy or Annie. Every time, Leo would try to attack me before Annie or Percy assured him that I was with them. Finally after several days, I couldn't stand it.

I was laying in the engine room bed when Leo came in. He shouted before he tried to attack me. Annie came hurtling into the room and told Leo that I was with her. Leo set himself at the far end of the room, tinkering.

"Leo, listen," I said. "Look at me." My voice trembled. I hadn't talked to him in so long.

"Look lady, whoever you are, why do I need to listen?" he asked.

"Leo, listen," I repeated.

"I can hear you, go on," he sighed.

"No. You can't just hear me. You have to _listen_." I said.

Suddenly Leo looked up into my eyes, slowly I said, "Who am I?" Leo shook his head and muttered "I don't know" but I held his gaze and repeated. This time, a look of remembrance crossed his face.

"You're- You're Lauren!" he said. I smile crept across my face, tears streamed down my cheeks, he actually remembered me. I continued to ask questions until he slowly remembered on his own. We spent the night laughing over funny memories and simply enjoying the nice ones. That is, until Leo remembered the time we did the laundry. A dark expression crossed my face. I radiated my anger.

"Lauren, I just remembered you. Anyways, you can't blame me," he said. I looked at him, wrath engulfing myself.

"Oh yes I can!" I hissed before I ran out of the room, tears flowing from my eyes, anger filling me.


	15. Lifeless

**This chapter is short, but it will kill your emotions. Major cliffhanger. Disclaimer: I will not be able to update in the holidays. So get ready to grieve for Laurel until term 4 starts.**

 **MWAH HA HA HA HA**

 **P.S. NITALI, don't assassinate me on the first day back term 4. Or no more Laureo and I just don't want to die... please?**

Lauren's POV

He was so annoying. His cute little face was too much to not like but everything he did was so dangerous for me, maybe even him! Yet at every turn, he seems to come close but then be blown back to square 1. That was even worse than never getting close at all. And I was stupid enough to let my guard slip every time and let my stupid "emotions" show them show themselves. But then, I can't decide if I want to trust them or not, and there: blown back to square 1! I hate my life!

We were finally getting to the "end of the world" a.k.a two random pillars. As we approached the crew gathered to decide who would go. I had knack on getting onto people's nerves, gods especially, but still great at bargaining and if that doesn't go well, I am the only person in the crew who shouldn't be here, who shouldn't exist, who doesn't matter. While the group was discussing I rose from the corner.

"I'll go," I said, determined. Leo looked at me quizzically.

"This is Hercules. We need to be ready, at full strength. You need rest," said Leo. He placed a hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off and glared at him ominously.

What if I don't want to live I muttered so only he could hear me. Leo closed his eyes as he understood what I said. I ran from the room. I hoped Leo wouldn't follow me, but guess what, he did! I locked the door and leaned against.

'Lauren, I'm so. I'm so, so sorry. Please come out. I want to talk."

'There is nothing to talk to you about. Do you want to know the truth Leo? I never liked you. I only came on the ship for Jason! Happy? Now go!'


	16. Liar Liar

**I know I said I wouldn't update in the holidays but I love Laureo just as much as you guys so I gave in... You guys are lucky. I have the next two chapters written in my journal so you can expect them pretty soon. And let me warn you, this chapter and chapter 17 aren't going to be a walk in the park for your emotions, but chapter 18 will have a happy-ish ending. But then** ** _dramatic_** **turn occurs as usual and you guys can read on for the rest. So many "but"s. You guys better thank NORA AZAD who convinced me yesterday to update.**

 **P.S. I can guarantee that by the end of the chapter, you guys will become assassins trained to kill me...**

Lauren's POV

I felt Leo's weight lift from the door as his footsteps retreated. The lie that I had infiltrated his mind with stung me. But if I could convince him that I never liked him, it would only make his life safer. Mine was already doomed. If my options were choosing between breaking my own heart or keeping Leo safe, I wouldn't hesitate in making Leo's safety my first priority.

Now that I had executed step 1 of my plan (lying to Leo) I needed to go ahead to step 2: convincing him. After a while, I decided that the coast was clear for me to run... to Jason's room! Luckily, I Annie's cap was with me so I sneaked to his door unseen. I took the cap off before swinging the door open and marching into the room. I was in the mood for demanding everything I needed off Jason, but I turned into tomato-head when I noticed he was with Piper.

Piper broke away from Jason immediately and scurried out of the room. When she left, Jason glared at me ominously. I chuckled awkwardly before greeting him.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly. I smiled sheepishly before answering.

"It's kinda complicated. So, basically, I don't want to be with Leo. I mean he's the cutest, funniest and frankly best guy ever, but I'm scared that him being part of my overly complicated life -courtesy of Aphrodite- will endanger Leo. So I finally got him off my back when I lied about... liking you," I muffled the last two words so Jason wouldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, what did you lie about?" he asked.

"Liking you," I squeaked. Jason's eyes widened in horror.

"Why me?" he asked miserably.

"Because other than Leo, there are only 3 boys on the Argo II: Percy, Frank and you. Percy's my brother, so just no. And Leo would never believe me, no matter what, if I claimed I liked Frank. It's unrealistic," I explained.

"Look I won't pretend to like you if that's what you want."

I scowled at Jason. "This is for Leo's safety," I growled. Jason shook his head defiantly. I slowly massaged my forehead.

"Look, I'm not in the mood Jason," I said.

"Lauren, you just need to loosen up. Anyways, Piper and I need to get down soon. We're settling in a few hours, and time is never kind to us demigods," complained Jason.

"Loosen up? Oh, you are on!" I summoned a torrent of water but Jason summoned lightning.

"Did you forget that water is a great conductor of electricity?" he smirked before flying out of the window. I followed him as I willed the water to carry me. Soon, from skirmish to battle, it became war! Jason and I laughed hysterically while deflecting and attacking.

"Maybe I did need to loosen up," I said as a volley of lightning flew my way, only to miss me. The whole crew had gathered on deck to watch Annabeth was screaming orders to stop but no one paid any attention to her. Percy started chanting my name. Annie elbowed him in the ribs which made him double over but he could still communicate to me through the water. He seemed to be saying "I'm still rooting for you!"

Leo's POV

I ran to the deck to see Jason and Lauren laughing over a full-fledged battle. It reminded me of laundry. Lauren always came so close, just to break my heart every time she broke away. A pang of an emotion that I had never before felt for Lauren went through me: _hatred_. A fireball appeared out of nowhere and hurtled towards Jason...

Lauren's POV

As we "played", I realised the ball of fire hurtling towards Jason. I jumped in front of him (since I was fireproof) without hesitating. But as soon as it hit me, a searing pain went through me. I could feel the hatred radiating from near. As I plunged down, I saw Leo. I realised I had accomplished what I needed to, now it was my time to leave. The last thing I saw was Jason lifting my body, preventing my deathly fall...

Leo's POV

I stared, shocked, at what I had done. Percy glowered at me, anger seemingly boiling in him.

"What's wrong with you?" he shouted.

"It was an accident," I whispered.

"So first you "accidentally" attack New Rome, and now you" accidentally" kill my sister. You better be praying that an eidolon somehow possessed you!" he bellowed.

I squeaked "I'm sorry" before disappearing into my room... What had I done?

 **Find out in the next chapter if Lauren survived the lethal fall... or hatred...**

 **MWAH HA HA HA HA**


	17. Heartbreaking Trickery

**Warning: By the end of the chapter, you will be crying, no bawling, no howling in pain for Leo...**

 **Enjoy ;)**

Lauren's POV

I woke up to the sound of crying. My eyes fluttered open to see Annie bawling over Percy. Percy had a grim expression on his face. It was like someone died…

When Percy saw me awake, his face lit up and he embraced e in a bear hug. Annie was completely paralyzed with shock. When she came back to her senses, Annie completely became a little kid.

"We thought you were gone!" she wailed as she hugged me. Hazel and Frank looked _very_ relieved. They both gave me a hug but while Frank did, he turned into a grizzly bear half-way. Piper was standing in the corner, arms crossed, an annoyed expression plastered to her face. I couldn't blame her.

"You okay kid?" Coach Hedge asked. I nodded my head slightly

"You think you can move?" Jason asked.

"Maybe…" I replied, trying to muster a weak smile. He gave me a hand getting up from where I was sitting (which made Piper's face contort with more rage). As I got up, I stumbled over into Jason but luckily, he kept his balance. We all shared a laugh (excluding Piper) and I thanked him. Suddenly, I caught Leo from the corner of my eyes. I stared at him.

Leo had a black eye (probably courtesy of Percy) as he stared back. His eyes were swollen and red as if he cried for an eternity. I realised the reason I was still here. Leo had every right to hate me, but he just couldn't. Leo stepped forward.

"Lauren I'm sorry," his voice trembled. "I had no idea- I just- I'm so sorry…" he stuttered. At that point, all my instincts called out to me to reach out to Leo, to heal his bruise, hug him and say it wasn't his fault. But I had to continue what I had started. With all the force against myself, I glowered at Leo.

"You almost killed him!" I shouted. I used all the energy in my body to run. Annie looked horrified at me! I didn't blame her. It almost sounded like I cared about Jason more than myself, more than Leo. It stung me…

I heard a knock on the door.

"Go away, Leo!" I shouted. But instead of Leo answering, Jason did. I opened the door, surprised to see him.

"Are you here to kill me on Piper's orders?" I asked as I ushered him to the bed. "Gods, she must be mad! Anyways, the almighty Hercules is waiting for your appointment, isn't he?" I asked.

"We have a little time. Anyways, I told Piper what's happening. She said she's fine with it,' he smirked. "Actually, she seemed more than fine as I recall. Her exact words were, "The _Laureo_ ship is the best romance drama I have ever seen and I would do anything to contribute to "spice it up"."." My face went red at the "Laureo" and "spice it up" bits. Jason howled with laughter.

"Well great. 'Coz I'm 100% ready to move out of here," I said, gesturing towards the room.

"I have a big room. You could lay a mattress on the floor there," Jason suggested. He added in a whisper, "You know, for the "special" effect." I slapped his arm but accepted his offer gratefully for the "special effect". Soon, had to leave so I started packing.

Leo's POV

I heard Jason laughing hysterically in my room so I leaned against the door. And listened. Lauren was saying she wanted to move out so Jason offered to share his own room. He added something in a whisper which seemed to make Lauren laugh (like she did to my jokes) and accepted his offer hastily! The little shards of my heart somehow managed to break yet again. I hid in the corner when Jason left the room and went back to listening when he was out of sight. It sounded like Lauren was gathering her things. As soon as she opened the door, she came face to face with me.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice trembling and threatening to break completely. But Lauren just looked at her feet and pushed past me, leaving me in the doorway, wanting her more than ever.


	18. Forget-Me-Not

**I was going to make a happy ending for this chapter and save the heart-ache for the next, but NITALI inspired me to break my reader's hearts as much as possible. So you will have a happy bit, but the heart-breaking part will be back.**

Jason and Piper returned safely (after a war with high-velocity pineapples with Hercules). We set off right away. Leo was steering but suddenly, Percy told him to stop! A trireme appeared in front of us. As the fog cleared, odd dolphin-like men started raiding our ship.

The dolphins took all our weapons and bound up with rope. The dolphin man searching me seemed to be efficient in finding hidden weapons. He took the knife from my shoe. The dagger up my sleeve (literally) and even the retractable blade which I slipped into my ponytail (don't ask how I did it...) But I still had my rubber band on my wrist.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be fully human but he had a heavy golden mask on his face. He addressed me and Percy personally.

"Who are you-" I growled

"And what do you want?" finished Percy.

"Hello, brother, sister." The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic Middle-Eastern accent. "Always happy to rob a fellow child of Poseidon, or children in this case. I am Chrysoar, the Golden Sword. As for what I want..." He turned his metal mask towards Annie. " Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

Chrysoar seemed to inspect us while at least a dozen of his men had their spears levelled at our chests.

Chrysoar was explaining a few things about his lineage until he mentioned that Annie and I were Percy's " sidekicks". If I were anyone's sidekick, I would kick 'em right of the side for thinking so! Just because Annie and I were girls, didn't mean we only got a share of the glory and given the title "sidekick". We both snarled until Percy realised that all winged horses were our siblings... that made him shut up.

Suddenly, Percy had an ingenious idea! He figured out that the only person that the dolphin-men feared was Dionysus. They must've had some harsh history with him (explained the dolphin part, Mr D's favourite threat was he'd turn anyone who interfered with him into dolphins). So Percy claimed that Dionysus was our captain and we all put on an act, trying to convince the Dolphin Warriors that Dionysus was turning us into madmen (and madwomen), Frank even turned into a dolphin to make it more convincing. All the dolphin-men ran off the deck until only Chrysoar remained. Frank turned into a grizzly bear and was about to swipe Chrysoar's mask off when Chrysoar snatched an unconscious Leo, dagger in hand.

Anger seethed in me.

"Ah, ah, aah. I wouldn't move if I were you... unless I'd want him dead. You may want to reconsider your options, after all, you are all unarmed, fools!" Chrysoar warned.

I shuffled a little closer to him, but he just brought the dagger closer to Leo's neck. I gulped down the panic before I examined the space between me and Chrysoar's hand. It was just a sword's length away. I put my hands behind my back and slipped the rubber band into my palm.

"I see your friends are no longer under the tyranny of Dionysus. You were calling a bluff," he sneered. Already, a few of the dolphin warriors were returning. I quickly brought out my sword and stabbed his hand as he howled in pain and let go of Leo. Chrysoar's mask fell in the process, in a hurried attempt to cover his face, he plunged into the sea.

Everyone backed into the corner as the dolphin warriors approached. I swung my sword in an arch as the first line fell dead. Slowly, I worked my way through viciously, earning many cuts and bruises along the way. As a killed the last warrior, the moon shone on me and the bloody mess. I stood there for a few seconds, contemplating what I had done. The crew was still paralysed in the corner. Finally, Frank spoke up.

"That was... AMAZING! You gotta teach me to fight like that!" he exclaimed. I was about to answer when Leo groaned something incoherent. I dropped everyone and sprinted across the deck. I measured his pulse on his wrist. It was fine but I detected several injuries that would become deathly if not tended to quickly. I tried to ignore my panic as I set to work.

"Hazel go get a stretcher. Jason, get the ambrosia and nectar, Piper, help him, the jars are hefty. Frank, help Percy load Leo onto the stretcher when it arrives. Annie, go check the control room, we need someone to steer while Leo's out," I ordered.

"Yes, doc!" Percy raised his hand in mock solute before tending to Leo. When Jason returned, I force fed Leo some nectar and ambrosia. But only enough to get him awake. He didn't heal a bit. When he groaned unintelligently and lifted his head, it revealed the tiny slit that Chrysoar had somehow made. It was so close to his temples, I couldn't tell if he actually popped them. My heartbeat started racing.

"Everyone, HURRY UP! He may have a damaged vein. QUICK!" I shouted. That seemed to get everyone moving faster. They transported Leo to the sick bay and I got to work straight away. Everybody crowded in. I used all my concentration to figure out if the slit actually damaged his temples. Finally, I turned around, tears welling in my eyes...

"He's OK," I whispered. The crew let out a sigh of relief they were all holding. They all filed out of the sick bay to create a tribute in Dionysus' honour. But I stayed behind. I carefully stitched the slit, healed all scars and calmed the bruises. Leo was back unconscious, so I decided to have a teensy-weensy rest...

'Lauren, Lauren," I heard Leo call. I jolted up from my nap.

"You're awake!" I exclaimed. Leo chuckled his Leo chuckle which seemed to make my heart melt.

"So you don't like Jason?" he asked.

"Huh?" His question caught me by surprise. "Of course I do, what makes you ask?"

"You killed at least 50 dolphin men for me and-"

"I thought you were unconscious.'

Leo shrugged, "I thought it was a dream."

I shook my head to stop myself from going off track. "Anyways, saving your life doesn't mean I like you. You're still my friend."

"You called off the bluff, risking Jason's life for mine," Leo countered.

"You know too much for your own good," I said, smirking. I was dangerously close to him at this point.

"You do like me," Leo whispered.

"If I did, then I wouldn't do this," I said breaking away. Leo's face reflected something along the lines of "crestfallen". It broke my heart.

"You "fall in love" with every girl you see, Leo. I'm no different. Heck, you fell in love with the freakin' ice goddess. She serves GAIA! Now you look back to it and realised it was just a feeling. A fleeting thought. You may look back in the future and you'll see I'm no different. Take my word for it," I said. "To make it easier on you, you are going to be needed to be convinced you never felt anything for me."

"You'll never be able to convince me. I'll always-" Leo started protesting, but I cut in.

"Who said I'd do the convincing," I said.

Piper's POV

Lauren begged me into doing this. I went up to Leo and he stared hopelessly at me. I put my hand in his to assure him everything was going to be alright. He shook his head vigorously before slipping his hands to his ears. Lauren immediately pinned them to his side. She nodded at me.

"You never, ever liked Lauren, and you never will," I said to Leo.

"I never ever liked Lauren and I never will," Leo repeated. Once he did, he shook his head as if he was confused and looked straight at me.

"What happened?" he asked innocently.

"It's done," Lauren said. "He's forgotten."

 **Now that you've finished this chapter...**

 **Everyone who HATES LAUREN FOR NOT TRUSTING HERSELF WITH LEO, REPLY I!**

 **(I)**


	19. Giving Up

**2nd last chapter guys!:) SO EXCITED!**

Leo's POV  
After Lauren left, I thanked Piper a million times. When she put her hands in mine, she actually handed me completely sound resistant ear-plugs. I managed to slip them on before Lauren pinned my hands down. But now, I was doubtful she ever liked me. I thought of what she had said...

Every time I replayed it in my head, the more absurd it seemed. Lauren was different. She made me stir in a way and feel things no other girl ever made me feel and never would.

That night, I let myself cry through all of it. I relived every memory with Lauren before it became bittersweet. I wanted her so badly, but it seemed she didn't want me at all! There was nothing I could do to... except bawl all night and entertain myself with ice-cream tacos.

Lauren's POV  
Everyone left on their individual quests; Annabeth for the Athena Parthenos (Percy as her escort) and Hazel, Frank & Leo to get Nico back. That left Piper, Jason and me on the Argo II. We decided to have a nice picnic in the park we had settled in. We also discovered it was Jason's birthday when the cornucopia spewed out a birthday I decided to keep the grief for today! It was all sunshine and rainbows, literally!

 **Meanwhile, on the other side of Rome...**

Percy's POV  
It was heartbreaking to leave Annie

Leo's POV  
It was a nightmare... almost ruining the Archimedes Sphere. Oh, and also, my friends were knocked unconscious and eidolons almost killed them.

Lauren's POV  
When Percy returned, he was dejected. Apparently, Annie was "kidnapped" on a motor scooter by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. While we were talking, Katropis lit up with a vision. It portrayed Percy, Piper and Jason in a room, all alone. It seemed to be underground, set in stone. It didn' take much time to get there with Percy leading us. But as soon as they were there, Piper told me to stay outside. She said that the prophecy only had them three inside there. I reminded her that I was a "prophecy-bender" but she still insisted. Percy promised that they would come back to get me when they had completed their task in there. As soon as they went in, the door promptly closed. I screamed and clawed at the door but it didn't budge. I finally gave up and leaned against the door. I could hear water filling up. They were drowning! I heard Percy shouting for help, but he gave up. Piper ordered them to think that right then,

I finally gave up and leaned against the door. I could hear water filling up. They were drowning! I heard Percy shouting for help, but he gave up. Piper ordered them to think that right then, they would need to believe that they would give their lives up to produce freshwater so the darkness of the nymphs would be purified. I tried to decipher what she meant, but they didn't have time. I shouted and punched the dor continuously and the door actually gave in at some point. Gaia must have been playing with me. Letting a useless demigod die, removing yet another threat. My theory was proven by the whoosh of the door as soon as I entered. I swam over to the others.

"If there is anyone who is willing to give their life up for a good cause, it's me," I whispered as the water took control over me, weakening every bone in my body. Slowly fresh water replaced the dark and vanished. We all were coughing and gasping for air... except for Jason. Piper was having a heart attack and I suspected he was dead But Percy still had hope. He extracted all this water form Jason's lunge (careful not to take the blood) and it worked! Jason was alive and breathing. Through the tunnels, we were led to a huge circus room. There, Ephialtes and Otis were getting ready and Nico was trapped in a and Jason fought the two giants while Piper and I attempted to rescue Nico form the grotesque jar. Suddenly, I blinding light appeared in the centre of the room. Once it faded away, Bachus was in its place.

Before anything could be said, he made a whole stadium come to life. Piper, Nico and I watched in horror as Jason and Percy were forced to fight the two. Luckily, they worked hand in hand and had similar thought processes when in combat. Fortunately, the Argo II came by just in time to witness Dionysus deciding Percy and Jason were worthy of his assistance.

From there, we were on our way to Annie. We easily located her where she was. It was underground, so we kinda used random cars to break the pavement... it was for a good cause... right? As the debris fell, it uncovered Annie. I rushed to her and embraced her tightly. It had been so long since I'd seen her. She was in such a bad condition! Tears formed in my eyes when I saw her.

"Annie!" I shouted as I ran up to her. Losing her was like losing a life-long sister. She was always there and took great care of me. I locked her in a hug before someone coughed behind me. I turned around, glaring at whoever had interrupted us. But I realised it was Percy and moved away quickly. He deserved a little alone time with Annie.

"I'll give you two some time together..." I said, winking at Annie. Percy had a complete mental breakdown judgng from his broken voice. I made my way to the ship. Suddenly, I heard a scream behind me. I turned around immediately because I could tell who the scream belonged to any time... Annie! I scanned the area where she and Percy were. There was no one there except Nico who was kneeling down to look into the abyss. His face looked fearful and worried. I shifted my gaze downwards to the abyss. Percy was just hanging off the edge, holding onto Anie who was dangling ominously. I gasped before sprinting to them, but before I could make it, they were gone. For a few moments, the possibility seemed impossible. They had endured through so much. They couldn't be falling into Tartarus now, could they?

A million emotions formed in me, the extent of which the gloom in my heart could not be emphasised. I abruptly fell to my knees. My head down and my mind swimming. I stayed like that for what seemed an eternity. I cried for as long as my eyes allowed me. Soon, there was no more inside me to cry, but my heart sagged with grief. There was only one thing I could do now.

"I have enough power," I said, my voice devoid of any emotion.

"What do you mean, Lauren? You need to get some rest. I can't imagine the state you are in right now." Hazel's worthless pity intensified my desire to do what I had to.

"I am the prophecy bender," I stated. Hazel's eyes widened in horror as she understood what I was saying.

"That's too much of a change, it'd require too much power. You are weak and-" Hazel started but I just repeated what I had said.

"I have enough power." I looked into my palm and bent all my concentration. I closed my eyes as I poured all my power into my will. It wasn't enough! I searched for every bit of energy I had inside of me, but the way I wanted to bend the prophecy acquired more. Finally, I found one, last source of power in me; the power of my life. Without hesitating, I gave it all away...


	20. Lethal Love

**LAST CHAPTER, SO EXCITED!**

 **P.S. THERE IS LIKE A HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE SURPRISE AT THE END, SO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE OR YOU WON"T GET THE SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURPRISE! :)**

Leo's POV  
She literally was lifted into the air. When she opened her eyes, they were a dazzling, bright golden colour. She spoke in a melodic, sweet voice which was not hers. I feared it was Gaia for a second, but I soon realised it was Apollo's.

"In the name of Apollo, I order this prophecy to bend to my will. Gaia, the earth mother, must return to her deep slumber. The two demigods, who go by the names of Percy Jackson and Annabeth, but return immediately from the dark abyss. The Athena Parthenos will appear in Camp Half-Blood now! These are my orders! Prophecy, BEND TO MY WILL!" she shouted. When she came back down, her body crumpled to the ground. I ran for her. Gently, I placed her head on my lap, so she could breathe properly, except, her breathing was very laboured and shallow.

"What happened?" Percy cried, swivelling his head around while Annie just clung onto him, in sheer shock. Soon, they realised the crowd the crew made around Lauren. Percy pushed himself to the front.

"What's wrong?" he called.

"Not enough power- gave away- power of life, Lauren barely managed to get the words out.

"WHY?!" I cried.

"She didn't have the strength to talk so she conjured a small, dying flame and communicated through it. I listened to the flame intently.

"Hey, Leo. You may not feel anything for me, but there's something in my right pocket I want you to know when I'm dead," it wheezed before extinguishing itself. I slipped a piece of paper out of her pocket. It had the picture of me laughing the day Lauren made her contact lenses. There was a small note on the back of it. I read it:

 _Dear Leo,_

 _Ever since you came to Camp Half-Blood, my life turned around. I instantly knew you were different... special. The truth is, I love you. My Achilles Heel was never based on my emotions. Well, all except one... love. To live I needed you to show me you love me in some way. but I chose to not allow it. Everyone who is part of my life always falls in danger. By this time, I should be dead, saves me from a lot of embarrassment than telling you in person... Oh gosh, could you imagine that? AWKWARD... I just wanted to say, you are true to die for, Leonidas Valdez._

 _Yours Sincerely,  
Laurencia Hale  
(Yes, that is my real name)_

I looked at the letter miserably. As Lauren gasped her last breath, I placed a tender kiss on her lips. Suddenly, a golden light encompassed Lauren. When it died down, I was back in the vast whiteness where I had seen Aphrodite. She was standing right in front of me.

"Congratulations, Leo Valdez. You unravelled the mystery of Laurencia Hale. Go back and celebrate this victory." Aphrodite faded away as I returned to the present. I was seated in the chair in the sick bay, Lauren on the bed. She woke with a start.

"Tell me, do you love me? Or was that letter written just to make me feel better?" I asked. Lauren looked confused, but then blushed madly when she realised what I was talking about.

"I told you to read it when I was dead!" she groaned.

"But... you were," I said, shrugging. Lauren stood up, hands on hips.

"How dead do I look to you?" she asked, offended.

"You were-" I protested. Lauren tried to slap me, but I side-stepped. She was about to fall, but I caught her. We were dangerously close. I leaned in...

Lauren's POV  
When Leo broke away, I smiled at him.

"You are a dolt!" I murmured.

"Incorrect," he claimed.

"Aha, and how is that?" I asked.

"I am not a dolt," he exclaimed. "I am _your_ dolt," he said slyly. I realised at that moment, this was love. Dangerous? Without a doubt, but it still brought more happiness in the end. This was the story of "Leo & Lauren", a story about lethal love.

 **WAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! I PROMISED YOU GUYS A SURPRISE, SO HERE'S WHAT IT IS...**

 **I'M WRITING A SECOND BOOK FOR "Lethal Love (Leo Valdez Fanfiction)", it's called...**

 **"The Choice (Leo Valdez Fanfiction)"**

 **Check back in a few days to find chapter 1...**

 **Enjoy the rest of the holidays!**


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